Monuments, Museums & Mojitos

In this episode, we talk about one of the most famous ancient history structures ever - The Pyramids!!

We jump straight into the brain-teasing questions we all have when it comes to these Illuminati looking pyramids - how were these colossal structures built, WHO built them (aliens? slaves? the working class?), what's inside them, which famous guys of history have visited them and the whack, or wise(?), theories about their existence - we let you be the judge of that ;) 

Don't forget to check out this week's cocktail recipe to drink along while you listen!

Shownotes:

- Book: All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture, from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian

This week’s episode is all about the true meaning of Christmas - getting drunk and feasting Roman-style! We discuss:

This week we are diving deeper into the world of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We chat about the break-up of Yugoslavia, and particularly, the horrific consequences this had for Bosnia. We look back at Nikki and Ysanne's trip to Sarajevo this year and take you through some of the best museums this city has.  

The museums we mention are the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide, The War Childhood Museum, Gallery 11/07/95 and the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum.

There is a trigger warning for this episode - we discuss facts of history that contain themes of violence, war, trauma, genocide, rape and crimes against humanity. 

Show notes:

- Gallery 11/07/95

- Gallery 11/07/95 TikTok

- War Childhood Museum 

- War Childhood Museum Tiktok

- Sarajevo Tunnel Museum

- Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide TikTok

- MMM Episode 3 - Eurovision

We are back! Welcome to the first episode of season 2! We are so excited to kick things off with a two-parter on Sarajevo, Bosnia, the OG Yugo Boss ~Tito himself~, and Yugoslavia. Tune in as we discuss:

We dive deep into pre-Yugoslavian Bosnia (Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires), the formation, peak and dissolution of the country that once was and, the devasting consequences this had for some countries. We focus mainly on Bosnia and explore the Bosnia War and the memory of this national trauma which is still reflected in society today and the museums that pay tribute to these atrocities. 

We place a trigger warning on this episode (and Part 2). There is a discussion of war, trauma, torture, crimes against humanity and genocide however this is mainly relevant for Part 2 and is only alluded to in this episode.

Get in touch with any thoughts/feelings/comments. We love to hear from you! 

Show notes: 

- The Death of Yugoslavia. Six-part doco by the BBC - https://bit.ly/334BmII

- Museum of Sarajevo 1878-1918 - https://bit.ly/3rQCeLy

- Slavoj Zizek — The Ideology of Yugoslavia - https://bit.ly/31KCO2B

- Highlights of Sarajevo - https://bit.ly/3ybfirB

To round off our first season of the Monuments, Museums & Mojitos, we’re having a two-parter on the one and only British Museum!

Treasure grabbing thieves, or protectors and saviours of global cultural artefacts? Maybe a bit of both ...

We have a good old natter about our own experiences and opinions on the British Museum and other ‘universal’ museum institutions with colonial origins. How did they start? Why? And which artefacts are the most disputed?

With our first guest speaker Nikki Alexopoulou, we discuss the Olympics: where it’s been, why it happened, and where it’s going. From the mythological roots of an ancient religious festival to the politics of the Cold War, to Mr Bean at the London 2012 opening ceremony, there’s plenty to mull over!

Show notes:

The Klepsydra of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games opening ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh91qDz4xQU&ab_channel=3V69

Mr Bean at the London 2012 Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwzjlmBLfrQ&ab_channel=Olympics

The Athens Olympic Museum: https://athensolympicmuseum.org/en/

Our cities are littered with them and no one really asked for them to be in our public spaces. What on earth then should we do with these old, historical, bronze, wrinkly statues that mainly consist of old white dudes? 

Join us as we discuss the issues surrounding statues that are in our public spaces and hold diverse and problematic meanings to different stakeholders. 

Poli offers his context of growing up in an ex communist country, while ysanne and Nikki talk about their colonial and colonised places of upbringing and the stinky statues that come alongside them

Dior and archaeology!? What's going on???

This week in Athens, Greece the fashion mega house Dior is doing a runway shoot at the Ancient Panathenaic Stadium and a photoshoot on the Acropolis. 

In this episode, we discuss the commercialisation of heritage, is it a good or bad thing and, at what point do we draw the line.

Sit back and join us. And remember, if you see a McDonald's opening at the bottom of Machu Picchu, it's probably not a good thing...